Manchester, July 17 (UNI) An excellent bowling performance by Indian bowlers led by Hardik Pandya's four wicket haul enabled visitors to bowl out England for 259 runs in the deciding third ODI at Old Trafford here on Sunday.
This is the seventh successive ODI wherein India have bowled out the opposition.
Pandya was outstanding as he finished with career-best figures in ODIs. He picked up 4 wickets in his 7 overs, frittering away just 24 runs with 3 maidens.
Spinner Yuzvendra Chahal also was equally good as he grabbed 3 wickets, while Mohammad Siraj removed 2 top-order batsmen. Left arm orthodox spinner Ravindra Jadeja too registered a wicket to his name.
For England, captain Jos Buttler was the top-scorer with 60 runs off 80 balls including 3 fours and 2 sixes.
Jason Roy too made a useful contribution with 41 runs in 31 balls, smashing 7 boundaries. However, lack of support from any other batters eventually caused the hosts to be bowled out in 45.5 overs.
Earlier, Siraj set the show as he claimed Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root in his very first over, but Jason Roy and Captain Ben Stokes took the reprisal against the Indian bowlers, but they fell to Pandya who had a rock and roll dat with the ball.
Buttler restrained his bellicose tendencies and built an innings and only opened up after he saw Liam Livingstone (27 off 31 balls) cutting loose against short-pitch stuff off Pandya. They looked menacing, but fell to fine catches in the same over as Jadeja dazzled on the field.
Thereafter, David Willey (18 off 15 balls) and Craig Overton (32 off 33 balls) stitched 48 runs partnership for 8th wicket and England looked poised at the stage to cross over the 300 runs mark, but ultimetaly folded the innings with 25 balls to spare.
It will be interesting to see if England can defend the total as they did in the last ODI where they defeated India by 100 runs.
Earlier, India Captain Rohit Sharma won the toss and opted to bowl first.
Brief scores: England - 259/10 in 45.5 overs (Buttler - 60(80), Pandya - 4/24)
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